Unlike an electrically heated tobacco product (eHTP), an aerosol heated tobacco product (aHTP) includes a liquid cartridge. ISO 21160, which is a standard method well known for analysing carbonyls in aerosol of combusted cigarettes by 2,4-dinitrophenyl-hydrazine (2,4-DNPH) reagent after trapping the aerosol in an impinger. However, ISO 21160 is not optimised for analysing carbonyls in the aerosol of aHTPs but only in combusted cigarettes. Therefore, in this study, the ISO 21160 method (only impinger) was compared to the trapping method of the Cambridge filter pad (particulate matter) with impinger (gas phase) to establish an optimised method for carbonyls in the aerosol of aHTPs. In addition, 2,4-DNPH and 2,4-DNPH HCl reagents were used in order to compare the degree of the carbonyl derivatisation effect in aerosol. For aHTP, formaldehyde was collected more in Cambridge filter pad than in the impinger, whereas other carbonyls were mostly collected in the impinger. Also, no significant overall differences between 2,4-DNPH and 2,4-DNPH HCl in NGP carbonyls were found.

In conclusion, the combined trapping method of particulate matter with gas phase is suitable for analysing carbonyls in the aerosol of aHTP and both derivatisation reagents could be used in aHTP carbonyls analysis.